The Waterfall Cave
by Rosefeather
Summary: AU fanfic: A Ranger has been captured in the desert, so his three friends head out to save him. But what happens when they make a friend with old scores to settle? K    because I'm paranoid. OC pairings. co-written with Emrald9.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: Hiiii! So I am fixing this fanfic, because I found some problems. (Ugh.) I had found a problem where what I used to show time skips doesn't show up on Fanfiction (this was very annoying) and I am enough of perfectionist to fix it. :)  
Anyway, everything applies as previously. I haven't fixed anything, plot and story wise, (mainly because no one has told me anything I should fix. *pokes reader*) but I hope this will fix the time skip problem!  
And still, I was twelve when I wrote this, and it was my first fanfic, so, you know. That would explain the poor quality. :D **

**Anyway, try to enjoy the story. I tend to rant and rave on and on, so I'll just be quiet now and fix my story. :D)**

**~ Rosefeather**

Prologue: Their World

The Ranger's Headquarters' hadn't changed in over 200 years, but still, no one could find them. Maybe because the meadow filled with sweet smelling flowers and the small cottage and stables, bordering the Hawk Forest, just didn't seem like a grim, businesslike enough place for Rangers. Maybe because no one thought that a natural wonder would hide the Rangers.

Or maybe, it was because they didn't want Evanna Warren's throwing knife to go right between their eyes.

**(Um, also, disclaimer for whole story, I do not own Ranger's Apprentice! Although that would be freaking awesome, because I love Ranger's Apprentice. :D**

**Oh and yes, this is totally AU, so yeah. OC and pairings and plot, so if you don't want to read new characters, well, too bad for you, 'cause my characters are freaking cool. xD Okay, now I'm gonna go. Seriously. I will. Like right now. After this. Maybe. Okay, just take my computer away.) **

**Love you all! :D **

**~ Rosefeather**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The disclaimer still applies for the rest of the story (Too lazy to do it repeatedly *sigh*) :) And I'd still love advice and opinions on my story.  
I'm still writing any one shots that occur to me relating to this story, and its sequels. If you have an idea for a one shot, please tell me. One shots that have already been written are all published in The Collective Works. **

**Currently I am writing the third story of this series. **

1: Evanna had just returned from a mission with Peter Cole. They had been escorting a Courier to the desert region of Ang, to form a treaty. The mission had been successful, but traveling across the desert, and their homeland Kagari, twice, had been exhausting.

The capital, Agra, was not their final destination when they dropped off the Courier. Rather, it was Hart's Field, the meadow where the Rangers supposedly (and did) meet. Luckily, it was only a few miles to travel to reach the meadow from the capital.

When they reached a stream they stopped and rested before following the stream down. As dusk approached they saw lights up ahead, getting brighter and bigger as the sky turned blacker, and the weary travelers came closer.

"Evanna!" A short, stout woman wearing an apron shouted as she came running toward them. Evanna slid out of the saddle and was then hugged fiercely by the small woman.

"Can't…breathe…mom."Evanna gasped.

"Oh, sorry!" Evanna's mother let go of her and smiled happily. Next to them, Peter was getting his hand shaken by several Rangers, and the Corps Commander, Carter, was trying to get himself heard over the babble of voices. "Quiet! I need Peter and Evanna de-briefed!"

"Okay, okay, everyone calm down. We'll talk later." Peter said. But his green eyes were sparkling, showing how happy he was to be back.

Evanna had brown hair and green eyes, like Peter. She led Peter, her mother and Carter onto the front porch and into the cottage's kitchen while their horses were taken to the stables to rest and eat. Sitting at the small, circular table, was a young woman, with blue eyes and long red hair that fell neatly past her shoulders. The woman stood, smiling, as Evanna cried happily "Tali!"

Tali Jacks was the only other female Ranger in the Corps, and she was Evanna's best friend. In their early apprentice days, the two of them got into a lot of mischief with their seniors, and that's part of the reason why Evanna can throw her knife through the waterfall.

"Tali? Evanna?" Peter said questioningly, "I don't know about you two, but I'm thirsty." "And let me guess, you want coffee?" Tali asked, her eyes sparkling in amusement. Peter nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

"I'll fix it for you all." Evanna's mother said, her usual happy smile in place. "Thank you, Barbara." Carter said, nodding at her. Carter led them to the living room and remained standing in the center as the younger Rangers sat.

Carter was tall and thin, very athletic and talented, with unusual soft brown eyes and brown hair. He enjoyed being with the younger Rangers, sometimes more than the older ones.

And now, he was looking expectantly at Peter and Evanna. "So," he began, "how did it go?"

A thoughtful look crossed Evanna's and Peter's faces as they reflected on their time in the desert. "Very well, actually," Peter said.

"Any troubles?" Carter questioned.

"None. Except the horses. Our poor Courier's horse was struggling to keep up with ours." Evanna replied, chuckling.

Carter shook his head sadly. "Stay focused, please, Evanna."

"Right, sorry Carter."

And sometimes, the older ones stayed a little more focused.

Carter questioned the two Rangers' thoroughly about their foray into the desert, particularly about land features they could map, since Rangers loved to get information about foreign countries.

Finally, Carter let all three go to bed, warning them that he may not be finished with them. "Great, just what I need, Carter questioning us about what clothes we all wore and when." Evanna muttered to Tali, who giggled and squeezed her hand, comforting her friend.

"At least you got coffee!" Tali whispered, making Evanna giggle, and then sigh happily. "I missed you Tali."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But at least now you're back! We can talk more in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Evanna agreed, yawning as she said goodnight, entered her room and collapsed on the bed. She was snoring peacefully in seconds.

… … …

Evanna could see weak morning sunlight through her eyelids. Birds chirped in the oak tree next to the cottage. Water splashed nearby, too. The cottage was located right next to the Ranger's base, after all. However, it was none of these things that had awakened Evanna.

It was the smell.

"Coffee…"Evanna groaned, zombielike.

Then, a chirpy voice said, "Well, it's not breakfast in bed so you better get up if you want it."

"Tali, how long have you been there, and how much coffee have you already had?" Evanna asked, rolling over and opening her eyes.

"Awhile, and some," Tali said, almost defensively.

"Right," Evanna agreed, swiftly getting to her feet. She could see her bow leaning against the bedside table, her quiver beside it. Her knives, both in their scabbard were lying on the table. _"Good,"_ she thought.

"So," Evanna asked as she stretched "what's my mom making for breakfast?" Tali grinned. "Toast, bacon, and your choice of either eggs or pancakes."

"Yum" said Evanna, licking her lips. "Now," Evanna continued, "go away so I can get dressed!"

A few minutes later, a fully dressed Evanna (with weapons) entered the kitchen, breathing deeply. "Smells good mom," Evanna said, walking over to the small woman at the stove and hugging her. Tali, Peter, and Carter were already seated and eating.

"Pancakes?" Evanna's mother asked her.

"Yes, please! And coffee!"

… … …

After breakfast, Evanna decided to check on her horse, Ash. Ash was a sweet little horse, and, like all Ranger horses, he was a small, sturdy and shaggy horse. Totally loyal to Evanna, too. Tali, who was basking in the return of her best friend, came to check on her horse, Mint, after all Rangers were trained to care for their horse.

The stable for the Ranger horses was enormous, because it was designed to house every Ranger horse at one time, if needed. Easily three times the size of the cottage it had taken the work of every Ranger to build, at one point.

Only a few stalls were occupied right now, and Mint and Ash were in stalls right next to each other, near the front of the stables.

Evanna was feeling slightly irritated, because, as she had predicted, Carter quizzed her and Peter over breakfast, although not about clothes, luckily. That might have been the final straw for an irked Evanna.

Tali, who knew Evanna like the back of her hand almost instantly had her back to her cheerful self.

"Later," Tali said as she brushed Mint, "we should do some target practice in the woods."

"Yes!" exclaimed Evanna as she lugged a bucket of water to Ash.

Tali nodded, then grinned over at her friend, "You remember how we used to see who was the better shot when we were apprentices?"

"Yes," Evanna agreed, reminiscently. "We used to drag Carter, and Peter and our teachers out to see who had done better!"

"They hated that! I thought Carter was going to ban us from target practice!"

"Ahh, that wouldn't have stopped us! We could always have shot that oak tree by the cottage."

"Then your mom would have stopped us! You know she loves that tree!"

"I think she would've let us. But, luckily for my mom and Carter, we decided I was better and we could stop debating it!"

"That is not why we stopped, you evil knife thrower! We decided we were equals!"

The two of them continued like this for a while, until their horses were fed and practically gleaming from the brushing.

Since they traveled everywhere with their weapons, they could head straight to the shooting range a few miles into the Hawk Forest.

After the small hike, they set to work hitting targets in rapid succession that, from the distance they were at, were only about the size of a dinner plate.

They were both returning from gathering all of their arrows, except, Evanna was one short. In the last bout, she had actually managed to shot one arrow with another. Although she acted annoyed, she was really pleased.

Evanna had just raised her bow to start shooting, when she heard hoof beats. "Tali, did you hear that?"

Tali paused, listening. "Yes. Hoof beats, isn't it?"

"Yes," Evanna agreed.

"Three pairs, to be precise." A voice came from the trees in front of them, and Peter's horse (Storm) came clopping into the clearing, followed by Ash and Mint.

"Peter!" the two women called.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Evanna added a second later, irritable, "I was about to shoot you, Peter."

"But you didn't!" Peter sounded like an excited five year old, getting away with something evil.

Evanna just shrugged, then asked, "So why did you come?"

Honestly, Peter had come for two reasons. Peter always had an ulterior motive with things involving Evanna… but there was no way he was going to tell her about that.

"Carter wants you back at HQ, both of you. So, he's either planning world domination, assassinating someone, or needs military help to plan a war."

Tali and Evanna let out peals of ringing laughter at this. "Carter…planning world domination?" Evanna wheezed, eventually. Tali was laughing so hard she had turned red, and was bent over, gasping for air.

"Well…" said a bemused Peter. "I'm glad you enjoyed that."

"Heck yeah!" Evanna said, walking over and giving Peter a long hug.

Peter had difficulty hiding his blush.

But so did Evanna.

"Okay, let's go!" Tali said enthusiastically. They mounted their horses and galloped toward the meadow.

The practice field in the forest was only about 2 miles from the Ranger's headquarters. The three Rangers did not bother to speak to one another as they rode. They made a detour to drop their horses off before continuing on foot.

They reached a small pool of clear water, bright, multicolored fish swimming around, lazily. Small birds fluttered above their heads, and a turtle warmed itself on a small rock. It was a very tranquil, peaceful place, helped by the large waterfall, about three people (standing side by side) wide. It splashed into the pool, bringing clean, drinkable water to the Rangers.

And the perfect camouflage for their headquarters.

Only the Rangers knew about the small secret entrance into a cave behind the waterfall that served as the Ranger's base of operations.

It was a true natural wonder, and surprisingly wider, taller, and longer than one would expect. About twenty-five people could be inside, and still be comfortable, but above thirty, things could get crowded.

There was a small opening to get into the cave, and a small ledge jutted out slightly from the wall, where, though most didn't know it, but where Evanna had stood when she and Tali, back when they were apprentices had pranked Carter…

_(Flashback)_

_Tali was walking around the pond, Carter behind her, slightly confused. Evanna was standing on the ledge, smiling. Just a little farther, and he would be in perfect position… _

_And then: Thump! "What?" Carter yelled in shock. Evanna didn't blame him though. After all, her knife was buried into the ground, almost to hilt, right next Carter's foot._

"_Well," Evanna said nonchalantly, walking past the waterfall, "Now you know what the apprentices are capable of, hmmm?"_

"_Y-you did that?" Carter stuttered. "Yep," was all Evanna replied._

"_B-but… h-how? The waterfall…" _

_Evanna winked, and she and Tali walked away laughing._

_(End Flashback)_

Evanna didn't know it, but she was smiling as she walked through the entrance. To an outsider, it would have looked like she melted into the rock, her Ranger cloak distorting her shape, aiding the illusion.

"Oh good, you're all here. Let's plan this thing!" Carter exclaimed. "What 'thing' is this, Carter?" Tali asked, curious. "Oh, Peter's next trip. Sorry you didn't get more vacation time, Peter. But, you're the best for this…"

Peter shrugged. "I'm okay with it Carter, but what am I doing?"

"You, my friend," Carter said with a grin, "are headed back to that lovely desert you just came from."

Peter was shocked. "Back!" Peter exclaimed. "To Ang! Why?"

"This time," Carter explained, "You will be retrieving some rare objects that belong to our king, which he sent in a gesture of friendship. Some he sent for them to keep, some to just show. You will be collecting those that were for show and bringing them directly to the King. Then you come back here to finally get your much needed vacation time. Sadly, this will be a solo mission, unlike last time."

"Solo?" Peter asked.

"Yes. Last time someone needed to keep an eye on the Courier. This way, you can move faster. And, why waste another Ranger?" Carter said with a small laugh.

"Sounds like a pretty good plan," said another voice, a man's, coming from the entrance.

"Yes, I thought so too." Carter said, giving the other Ranger a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

2: "Hey, Eric." Evanna and Tali greeted the other Ranger. Eric had blonde hair and blue eyes; he was thin but only medium height.

"Hey you two, wait, no, four." Eric replied.

Carter chuckled. "Good to see you, Eric. But what are you doing here right now? I didn't ask for you to come."

"Well," Eric began, "I figured you might want me to be handy. You told me yourself that I have quite a talent for planning these things."

"Fine, even though you were not specifically invited, you can help," Carter agreed, though he put emphasis on specifically invited.

Soon enough, they were all huddled around maps, planning Peter's solo trip to the desert.

Soon darkness was falling, much to their surprise (having been wrapped in a five-way argument about what pack Peter should take with him) and so they lit a fire and had some delicious stew.

The two women were discussing the pros and cons of a larger pack versus a smaller one, while the other three grouped together to examine the dangers faced in the desert.

"You know of the Red Shadows?" Carter asked Peter.

"Yes. Their leader used to be a bounty hunter. Seems she settled down in the desert."

"Still, she seems to have gone on the loose recently. Ang's King can't get them bottled up anywhere. Not that he tries very hard."

"Well," Eric put in, "They move from place to place too. Makes 'em harder to track, I can tell you."

"Yue, I recall her name being." Carter said.

"That's the one." Peter agreed, nodding.

"The Red Shadows go back and forth through the whole desert. I would be very surprised if they didn't cross trails, or paths with you. You'll want to be alert, and careful." Eric warned, looking at Peter carefully.

Eric knew that Peter was unsure about this mission being a solo one. Last time, he had Evanna with him, and they were very close because of it.

"Hey, guys? I think we should call it a night." Tali called quietly over to them. "Evanna fell asleep."

Evanna had. She was resting her head on Tali's shoulder, breathing deep, and even.

Peter smiled to himself, thinking back to when they had been traveling to Ang together, when he had gotten up early, just to watch Evanna sleep…

He stood up, as did Eric and Carter, and he walked over to Evanna and picked her up gently.

"I'll take her to the cottage." Peter whispered to Tali, who nodded, while trying not to smile.

Peter carried Evanna out of the cave and after he left, Eric, Carter, and Tali all smiled at each other hugely. Eric risked saying, very quietly, "Finally."

"Not quite, yet." Tali said, raising her eyebrows.

"Close enough for me." Eric said contently.

Meanwhile, Peter had carefully walked to the cottage and gone to Evanna's room, moving slowly so that he didn't trip in the dark.

Once he reached Evanna's bed, he carefully lowered her down. That done, Peter stepped back to look at her. He was regretting having to leave for Ang in a week. He sighed, and then left the room, closing the door behind him.

The next morning, Evanna vaguely remembered being carried to bed by… was it Peter? Her memory was foggy, but she was pretty sure it had been. She lay awake in bed, thinking about Peter. She wished he wasn't leaving. Or that she could go with him again.

But Carter was very clear about the solo part of the mission.

Sighing, she got up and got dressed, then realizing she had no idea where her weapons were. She figured they were still in the cave, but decided to have breakfast first.

Breakfast done and weapons found, Tali soon accosted Evanna by the waterfall. "Hey, I hear Peter needs help."

Evanna's eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked enthusiastically. "Yep." Was the reply. And then Evanna became a speeding bullet. In fact, she was gone before Tali could tell her where Peter was.

However, he was soon located. He was standing in the cave in front of a bookshelf. He had a larger pack (go figure, this was the one he had argued for last night), and he was filling it with what he needed.

As Evanna walked up to him saying, "Need help?" he jumped slightly, knocking over a compass. They both dived for it, and knocked heads in the process. "Oof, that was painful." Peter muttered.

"No kidding." Evanna groaned. She opened her eyes to see Peter sitting right next to her. And suddenly, she had the strangest sensation, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

And then, just as suddenly, she started laughing. "What?" Peter asked, confused. She pointed to the compass and choked out, "After… all that… it's not even broken!" And Peter laughed too, thinking of the irony.

And of how beautiful Evanna's blue eyes were.

A few days later…

Evanna was brooding. And, even more depressing was that she knew it. She just couldn't get over Peter leaving. Every time she thought about him being gone in a few days, she felt like her heart was aching with loneliness.

Her moping was not missed by all. Indeed, Tali would have to be a very bad best friend not to realize that Evanna barely did, well… anything lately.

Also, (but not to her surprise) Peter was acting similarly. She went to Eric for help, because, much to her surprise when Peter and Evanna had left she had been feeling lonely, so she started spending time with Eric. She had discovered how sweet and funny he was. And now, she was in need of some wisdom.

She (eventually) tracked him down at the shooting range. He was not alone.

Standing next to Eric, bow raised to fire, was Evanna. Tali felt a flash of jealously, and then realized that it was stupid. _"Just target practice,"_ she thought, mentally shaking herself.

Several thumping sounds later (as the arrows hit the target) the two Rangers put their bows down to collect their arrows.

"Good job, you two. Evanna, I think you actually shot better than Eric." Tali finally spoke as she stepped into the clearing.

"I bet she did. She could probably hit a fly from this far away if she wanted."

Evanna turned pink and said, "You're just as good as I am."

"You're better. And so is Tali. I almost miss the who is the better shot wars you two used to have!"

The two women laughed. "Those were the days!" Evanna said, smiling.

"Can't say I especially miss them." a different man's voice said.

"Really Peter? Surprising that you should say that. It's almost like Tali and I dragged you out to tell us who'd done better every day!"

Peter grimaced slightly. "Well, you just nailed what my life was like for two years."

"It wasn't that bad!" Tali scoffed.

Peter chuckled. "Alright you caught me. Although some days it was extremely annoying."

Now Tali and Evanna grimaced, and in unison they said, "We know."

And then the four of them spent a happy afternoon shooting away to their hearts content.

Leaving. It was so depressing. And Evanna so didn't want to have to be the one staying, the one saying good-bye, good luck, safe journey, see you soon. Everything.

But she did, anyway. Peter was leading Storm to the main road, and onto his adventure. He was just at the edge of the pool, remembering how Evanna used to freak people out by throwing her knife through the Waterfall when, speak of the devil, she appeared at his side.

"I wish I was going with you." Evanna said it before she had really thought it through, and consequently turned a light shade of pink.

"I do too." Peter faced her and saw that she was surprised.

They fell into a slightly awkward silence before Evanna came up on her tiptoes, and kissed Peter on the cheek. She whispered, "But I'll be waiting."

(A/N: Hello there readers! I feel the need to tell you something totally awesome: this story has had 93 hits and 50 visitors! Holy enchiladas! Anyway, I'm hoping some more people will review, favorite, and story alert, because then I KNOW you guys actually want to read this, because trust me – it gets better. Wait until you meet… oh, I can't say that… but still! Review! The blue button begs you!)


	4. Chapter 4

3: A week and half later…

Tali peered into the bedroom. "Evanna?"

"What?" said a bedraggled form sitting on the bed.

"Become presentable. Carter needs to talk to us. Stop mopping. It's pretty depressing." Tali's firm tone seemed to strengthen Evanna's backbone a little.

"Fine."

And that was just what Tali needed. She closed the door and sped off to the cave.

Five minutes later, a presentable Evanna was standing in front of Tali, Eric and Carter. "Well? What do you need?"

"Two things," Carter started hesitantly. Evanna raised her eyebrows as if to say, well, what?

"Okay, you need to stop this mopping around doing nothing. It is not constructive. And secondly, …well why don't you sit down?" Carter seemed very nervous about this, he kept avoiding it.

"Brace yourself Evanna, but Peter's been captured by the Red Shadows."

Evanna looked like she had been carved out of stone; she was in a state of total shock.

When she finally became coherent again, she said "Captured? How?"

Carter sighed heavily. "It must have been a surprise attack, probably at night. If he lit a fire, even a small one, it would have been a beacon for miles around."

"So what do we do?" her voice had hardened, she was determined. The news seemed to have done the opposite of what Carter had feared, instead of drawing her into depression, it pulled her out, helped her to stand up, a gleam in her eye and say, "We are not leaving him there."

Even if Carter had been, her tone boded no argument. Luckily, he could say, "No we aren't. You and Eric are going in and getting him out. I'll brief you tonight."

Tali then cut across Carter saying sharply, "And what about me? I'm off duty, why can't I go?"

"Tali, you are needed here." Carter said gently, but in a firm and final sort of way.

Tali was not intimated. She snorted and said, "Needed? If anyone is 'needed' here it Eric. After all, he's got the most experience. Who knows when they might need an extra bow? You know as good as I do Carter that I won't be doing anything here but pacing. And you hate it when we pace."

She had cornered him. She was right, and Carter knew it. He sighed again, wondering why the Corps let these two extraordinary, headstrong young women join them.

Evening two days later…

"Tali, you don't look so great."

The three of them, Evanna, Tali and Eric had been going almost all out riding for the past two days. Evanna thought it had something to do with the heat, and probably stress. Tali tended to be a worry-magnet.

"I'm fine really." Tali said, but just as she said it, she started to teeter over the saddle dangerously.

"Tali!" Eric cried, before (heroically) leaping off the saddle of his horse and catching Tali as she fell.

Evanna stared wide-eyed at him. "O-kay. I think that was Tali telling us it's time to stop for the night."

Eric nodded and gently lowered Tali to the ground. Evanna and Eric quickly set up a little camp and put Tali into the tent.

Evanna went in to lie down as darkness fell, and Eric stayed out on watch. Eric got up to get a drink. Just as he was about to turn around, a figure seemed to rise out of the sand, and it brought down the hilt of a knife to Eric's head. Eric immediately keeled over, out cold. The figure looked down at Eric. "Oh, shoot."


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning…

Evanna woke up, and could see weak sunlight through the entrance of the tent. And… what was that crackling sound? A fire? She racked her brain for a second. Eric didn't wake her up last night to take over the watch. Tali was still sleeping next to her. Someone had lit a fire. And she had no idea where Eric was. Well, she was about to find out two things; where Eric was and if it was him, or someone else, at the fire.

She carefully sat up and quietly attached her double knife scabbard. Quietly, she moved to the entrance and sat at it. She could see it wasn't Eric, but his back was turned to her. She decided to say something.

"So, going to tell me where Eric is and what the heck you're doing here?"

The man whipped around drawing his knife.

_Clang._

Evanna had drawn her knife with lightning speed and blocked the man.

"Very nice," he said, sheathing his knife and sitting across from Evanna.

Now that Evanna could see him clearly, she could see he had short brown hair and sparkling emerald eyes. He had several scars, one on his eyebrow, and a long one across his cheek. He had tan skin and looked about Evanna's age, twenty-three.

"So, what about my questions, now that it seems apparent you'll stop whipping out that knife?"

He smiled and said, "Eric? I suppose he's the man who was on watch last night."

"Yes he was." Evanna replied.

And then suddenly, Tali woke up and exclaimed "Evanna! There's a floating head!" And then promptly plopped back onto the pillow again, asleep.

"The heat was getting to her." Evanna told the man, who looked confused. His expression cleared for a second, and then Evanna asked him a question.

"So, what's your name? And what are you doing in this fine desert knocking out poor Eric?"

He shifted, looking slightly nervous. "My name is Altair. And, to be quite honest, I'm searching for the Red Shadows."

Evanna laughed. "Well, thanks for all the honesty. My name is Evanna." The two shake hands. "Crazy though it is, the three of us," she stops here, indicating the camp, "are searching for the Red Shadows too."

Altair raised his eyebrows. "Really now?"

"Yes indeed." Evanna said nodding. "But where is-"She was cut off by Tali again.

"Evanna! I have something important to tell you!"

"What?" said Evanna, slightly alarmed. "The head, it speaks!" And then she fell back again, asleep.

"It's because of your cloak," Evanna explained.

Altair's cloak was a tan, white-yellow color, which blended almost seamlessly with the sand, and with hood off and Tali not thinking straight, it must look like his head floated several feet off the ground.

"I see. So, what were you going to say?"

"Oh, I was going to ask you where Eric was."

Suddenly, Eric was standing up with his knife hilt poised above Altair's head. Then, in a strong, sweeping motion, he brought it down on Altair's uncovered head. The blow, which would have knocked out a normal person for several hours, or caused a concussion, simply caused Altair to look up, annoyed, and say, "What was that for?"

"You aren't unconscious?" Eric sounded shocked.

But this only caused him to relentlessly pound on Altair's head with his knife hilt.

"Ouch! Get off! Eric! Quit!" Altair shouted, throwing his hands up to try to ward off Eric's attack.

"Evanna! Call him off!"

Evanna leaned back onto the tent frame and crossed her legs.

"I'm just enjoying the show."

"Evanna!"

"Okay, I'm coming! Sheesh."

She stepped forward and reached out, stopping Eric's next attack, then she swiftly yanked his arm behind his back and twisted it until his teeth were gritted in pain.

Through his clenched teeth he managed to say, "Alright, Evanna I'll stop, just let go."

Evanna pulled his knife from his limp hand and released him, stepping backwards.

"Thanks." Altair said, rubbing his head and wincing.

"Sure." Evanna replied easily, like what she had just done was totally routine.

"Yeah, thanks." Eric spoke bitterly. "Now give me my knife back!"

"Oh, fine." Evanna threw the weapon back to its owner hilt first.

"Well, looks like you know where Eric is, now." Altair said.

"Yes I do." Evanna said, sounding satisfied.

"But, how are you still conscious?" While sounding totally ticked off, there was also a note of awe in Eric's voice.

"Come here," Altair said. He whispered something in Eric's ear.

"That's genius!" Eric exclaimed.

"I know." Altair agreed, sounding pleased.

"So," Altair began, returning to seriousness, "Why are you guys searching for the Red Shadows?"

Evanna's face darkened. But Eric beat her to the answer.

"We're searching for our friend." He glanced at Evanna and then said, "Another Ranger."

"What about you?" Evanna asked.

"The same thing." Altair replied in a guarded tone.

Evanna raised her eyebrows. "Really now?"

"And apples. Yes… apples."

Eric and Evanna give him the 'are you out of your mind look'? Finally, Eric said, "Okay, moving on, I think we should team up. I mean, we obviously are after the same thing… sort of."

"Alright." Altair agreed readily.

"Ahem." Evanna coughed pointedly, and when the two men looked at her she said, "You two might be ready to take on the Red Shadows, but she," Evanna jerked her thumb behind her at the tent, "is not."

Comprehension dawned on their faces. "Right. Good point." Altair said, nodding. "How long should we wait?" Eric asked Evanna. Evanna glanced inside the tent and said, "You won't like this, but we'll have to wait for tomorrow." As she had expected, they both let out cries of outrage that were quelled almost immediately by the withering look she gave them. "This way, we can at least plan a strategy!" Eric and Altair grumbled for a moment, but finally admitted defeat.

"Good. Now, let's have some breakfast. Altair, I'm going to need some help…" And so they began the painful task of planning out an attack on a force four times larger than theirs.

By evening, Tali was fit to eat and talk and move about without any harm coming to her.

So, by the time dusk came around, the four of them were seated around a fire, and Altair was explaining the plan to Tali.

"The Red Shadows are clever. They placed their base under a church. The first level is where they all live, and they added an impressive weapons area to practice in there. The second level is the meeting rooms. From one to three they have huge group meetings. Every day, so that they can collect money from the churchgoers. I'd say that's when we attack. Your friend Peter will probably be on the third level, the prison chamber. We are going to need a distraction though. That time of day is also Mass. So, two of us will need to start an argument or something. Enough for the other two, and one of them will have to be me, as I'm the only one who knows how to get in, to get in without being noticed. I'd say it should be Tali and Eric."

"Us? Why?" the two of them asked in unison.

Altair grinned at them. "That's why. Pretend you're married or something."

Tali raised her eyebrows. "We'll see."

Her tone was not encouraging. Eric blushed slightly.

"So that leaves you and me!" Evanna said cheerfully, punching Altair on the arm. He winced. "Yes, I suppose it does. Oh, Tali. I forgot to tell you, I was a member of the Red Shadows. Probably should have mentioned that earlier." He muttered the last part thoughtfully.

"He was their top assassin." Evanna added.

Eric stood suddenly. "Alright, enough chit-chat. The real deal is happening tomorrow, so sleep well."

The next day a few minutes before Mass…

"If this actually works, I'll eat my bow." Evanna muttered to Altair.

Altair chuckled. "Can't wait to see that."

"I'm sure." Evanna agreed, rolling her eyes. "Here they come!" she added a second later, pointing to two people walking into the church.

If she had not known it was her two friends, she might not have recognized them. They were wearing flowing tan and white robes, like most of the other people entering the church. Tali had a veil over her head, which helped hide her red hair.

"Finally." Altair muttered.

Amused, Evanna said, "Patient, aren't you?"

Altair grimaced and said, "It depends. They have a limited amount of time, so let's see what they decided to argue about."

"How dare you!" Tali was suddenly shouting at a flustered Eric as the preacher was trying to calm her down, "Madam, please sit down."

But Tali just continued her ranting. "This is what happens, isn't it?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen…" Eric muttered. "Oh, so it's an accident that I'm now mysteriously pregnant?"

In the shadows, Evanna stuffed her fist into her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. Altair was dumbfounded, his jaw slack.

"She did not…" he muttered. "I think she did. This is priceless!" Evanna giggled.

Suddenly, Tali tried to slap Eric, but he ducked, and Tali's hand met a man's face.

This set off one of the most violent, all-out fight ever seen in the church. It was lucky that Tali and Eric somehow managed to escape from it, and dive into the shadows, next to their friends.

"Why?" Altair asked, bluntly.

"That should keep them all busy." Tali said briskly, gesturing at the punching, kicking, screaming mass of people.

"Everyone calm down! Please!" the preacher cried above the din of noise. So, in retaliation, someone threw a book of hymns at him. He promptly collapsed, unconscious.

"Yes, that will keep them busy." Altair sighed.

Then he turned to face the wall and said, "Golden apples."

Three pairs of eyebrows went up, even as the wall moved to the side.

"Golden apples? Really?" Evanna said, disbelief dripping from her voice.

"Hey, I didn't make it up." Altair said defensively.

Evanna rolled her eyes and followed her friends into the corridor beyond, and even the stone walls couldn't totally mute out the sounds of the mini war in the church.

Altair led them over to staircase and said "This will take you to the lower levels. I think we should free Peter first."

The others agreed, and so they ran quietly and quickly down three flights of stairs, darting into the shadows when they heard noises from inside rooms, though no one came out.

On the third level, the last one, they found no guards. "They're getting cocky." Altair whispered, nodding at the unguarded door.

Evanna nodded and pushed the door open slowly. Still no sign of anyone.

"Peter?" Evanna said quietly.

They heard a muffled thump in the cell at the end of the room. Evanna dived across the room, leaping over stools and darting around tables, sending some papers fluttering to the floor.

"Well then, excuse the need for caution. That's fine." Altair muttered sarcastically.

Tali smiled, then indicated one half of the room to Eric, who nodded. They melted into the shadows, obviously investigating.

"He's here!" Evanna said excitedly.

Altair glowered. "Evanna, do you want us to be discovered? Stay quiet!"

Evanna nodded, looking crestfallen.

Then Eric rose out of the ground next to Altair, making his friends jump. "Sorry," he said, grinning. "Anyway, I found some keys. We can probably get through Peter's cell with this."

Tali materialized next to Eric. "The place is totally empty. Definitely getting to confident." She nodded in Altair's direction. "But all these papers lying around, some of them are just reports of missions, but most of them are profiles on their enemies, people they've captured, and their own members. This one is Yue's."

Tali handed Eric a packet of papers. There was a picture of Yue on the front. She looked proud, and haughty, with long dark hair, and black eyes that seemed to burn through your soul.

Evanna shivered. "Creepy." She muttered.

"No kidding." Altair said fervently. "Eric, let's get Peter out."

Peter was freed quickly, hugged by all, and almost got into a fist fight with "that weird dude," as he put it. However, once he knew who Altair was, and had his weapons (recovered from the training room on the first floor by Altair) and friends with him, he was ready to leave.

"Not yet. We can't leave." Altair said.

"Why not?" Evanna asked, shocked.

"We need to meet the great Yue first. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time." Altair's eyes glinted, and the others soon agreed.

Outside of Yue's chamber, Altair said, "Remember, this is my fight."

Everyone nodded agreement. "Let's do this."

Swinging the doors wide, Altair strode in and announced, "Time for a rematch, old friend."

**(A/N Hiya, peoples! Happy Valentine's Day! Anyway, since I forgot to reply to my reviewer last time: To Never Again- Thanks for your review! About that thing with Agra… I TOTALLY did not know that until you told me! So yeah, that was an accident… **

**Anyway, on a totally different subject, I'm aiming for 15 reviews this time! No idea if that's going to happen, but in my next update, you will get the most epic cliffhanger EVER! Oh, and I have a question: Can anyone tell me what the HECK the difference is between a hit and a visitor? )**


	6. Chapter 6

4: Yue sat on an elegant gold throne at the far end of the room, facing the door. When she saw Altair, and the four Rangers, she sighed.

"I knew you would come back."

"Really now? So, what did you plan for me?"

Yue smiled and stood up. Her robe was tan and white, but its edges were embroidered red.

"Trial by arms."

Altair drew his sword. "Fine."

She took off the robe to reveal a tunic and leggings underneath. They too, were white.

She drew out two swords, and stepped off the small platform her throne was on.

She flicked one of her swords and said, "Don't bother." She spoke to her guards, who were moving forward to protect her.

They backed away hesitantly, so the Rangers, as one, raised their bows, arrows nocked, and held them at bay.

Altair asked, "Who will be the judge?"

Yue waved her sword, and one of the guards stepped forward.

"Begin!" the guard exclaimed.

Yue and Altair launched themselves at each other. Yue crossed her swords to block a stroke from Altair, then, quick as a snake, flicked one at Altair's stomach. Altair leaped back, and then sprang forward, sword point out to stab. Yue knocked it aside, and followed up with a slash at Altair's head. Altair sensibly ducked, and still crouching, stabbed at Yue again. Now Yue was on the retreat, springing backward, crossing swords to block the crushing blows Altair kept giving.

It was obvious that they were both experts, but Altair seemed the better of the two.

Quite suddenly, the two fighters leaped away from each other, to their starting point.

Then, they charged each other, leaping into the air. They swung their swords at the other, but there was no clanging of sword on sword.

They landed on the opposite sides of the room, and there was a pause, barely a heartbeat, and one of the figures crumpled, unmoving.

**A/N: Yeah… Epic, right? Well, since that was only 320 words long, I'm going to be awesome and give you extra. Don't you just love me? Oh, and by the way, the original disclaimer was for the whole story, but I have another disclaimer: Altair does not belong to me but the makers of Assassin's Creed, I'm just borrowing his name. Sorry for not mentioning that earlier… oh well. This story will be finished soon, and then you get a SEQUEL! Now, the extra! **

The other stood and turned. The guards in the room bowed, and the four Rangers stood, mouths open.

"That," Peter said, "is the coolest thing I have ever seen." Tali shot him a this-is-not-the-time look.

"Is she… dead?" Eric asked.

"No." Altair replied. "She's just unconscious. But, effectively, I'm leader of the Red Shadows now."

"Sir," the head guard said nervously, "the other guards won't know, s-"

He was cut off by an immense battle cry from the door. The guards, assassins, criminals, and all of the Red Shadows inner circle, streamed into the room.

"Oh, no." Altair muttered.

The angry crowd had no idea that the fight had been a fair one, weapon on weapon. They saw the huge longbows of the Rangers, a traitor, and a group of guards looking confused and scared, and thought, _"Murder."_

"Well, no point trying to explain." Altair stated bluntly. "Be prepared to run when I give the word!" He shouted, before yanking out a small round object and throwing it into the air.

Black smoke billowed up, and Altair shouted, "Now run!"

While they ran through the small hallways, Evanna managed to gasp out, "Altair, what was that?"

"Oh, that? It's a smoke bomb."

"A smoke… bomb?" Tali asked, sounding intrigued.

"I'll explain later, they're gaining on us!" Altair literally dived into the wall, and went through. The others, after exchanging brief, he's crazy looks, leaped after him.

They emerged into the church, which was surprisingly still being destroyed by the people in the fight from earlier.

The five people didn't stop though, they dodged people, ducked fists, and jumped over upended chairs, which were plentiful everywhere.

The Rangers followed their assassin friend as he charged into the street, and clattered down past stores, houses, and almost knocked over several people. They could hear people coming after them and knew it was the angry mob they had left under the church. Altair made a detour down a side street, and weaved around some, until,

"Great, just great." Altair muttered. It was a dead end.

Silently, the four Rangers pointed to a long stream of vines, hanging off of the roof of a house.

"Hey, nice going." Altair said appreciatively. The Rangers climbed first and finally heaved Altair up on the roof.

Still unlucky though, the mob had caught up and spotted them, and now they were climbing the vine.

"Run, again!" Altair exclaimed before pelting off in the opposite direction, followed by his friends.

Soon, they reached the end of the roof, but rather than stop, Altair fearlessly jumped, landing safely on the other side, and running again almost as soon as his feet touched the next roof.

Realizing it was their only option, the other four followed Altair's lead.

And so, it became a wild chase, leaping from roof to roof until, "We must have the worst luck in the world." It was Eric this time, as he reached the last roof with his companions. So they turned to face the oncoming horde. What Altair had spotted though, was a bale of hay, enough to feed at least ten horses with more left over, conveniently placed beside the wall of the last house.

**A/N… Again: That all you get for now! Hahahahahaha! I love being a writer! I get to cut it off wherever I like! Ha! Review, And remember my new goal of 15 reviews! Thank you, wonderful readers!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Evanna, jump!" He shouted.

"What? Are you cr- ahhhh!" Altair had pushed her off the roof onto the hay bale below.

"Peter!" He added.

"What?"

"Wow, you're easily distracted."

And, another hard shove sent him to the hay bale.

"Tali! Jump!"

Strangely, Tali did jump.

"Wow, the first one to listen."

But, her actually reason for jumping was revealed a second later when an arrow shaft flew right where Tali was before.

"Ohhh, that's why."

Now it was just Altair and Eric, and he was understandably nervous.

"Eric, how's the weather?"

"How should I know!"

And then Altair pushed him off the roof.

"Cloudy, with a chance of Eric."

Then Altair gracefully sprang off the roof onto the hay. He took one look at his friends and gave a little cough. "Well, I didn't know it was like that."

Peter had landed on top of Evanna, and Eric had landed on top of Tali.

In unison, they all shouted, "It's not like that!"

As they stood up, Altair could see them all blushing furiously.

"All right lovebirds, we'll figure all that out later. Right now, our friends have discovered our escape route!"

A short while later after locking their enemies into a grocery store…

"Altair, what are we doing back here?" Evanna asked.

They were standing in Yue's chamber. Again.

"We," Altair said triumphantly, "are capturing Yue!"

"We're doing what?" All of the Rangers exclaimed.

Altair frowned. "You know, that gets really annoying after awhile."

Tali spoke now. "Forget about us speaking at the same time! Why are we capturing Yue?"

"Because," Altair began, whipping out some papers with a flourish, "If we don't take her to Kagari, she'll end up there anyway."

Eric yanked the papers out of Peter's hands. "These are invasion plans! And quite detailed."

"Where did you get these?" Tali breathed, looking over Eric's shoulder.

Looking slightly embarrassed, Altair pointed to a desk on the far side of the room. "There."

Evanna giggled. Everyone stared at her. "What?" she exclaimed.

"That was not normal." Tali said.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Well then." Peter said, "Let's grab her and go."

They all looked around the room, pivoting on the spot.

"Altair, where is she?"

"Oh… yeah."

He walked over to the desk, kicked it over and pulled open a trapdoor.

"Hi Yue!" He said cheerfully.

"Curses."

**A/N: Hey! It's the AUTHOR! Anyway, I think it'll only be one or two more updates, and we'll be done with this. Oh, and sorry if in those last couple of sentences they seemed to find Yue pretty quickly. Kinda needed to find her quickly, I'm afraid…**


	8. Chapter 8

5: After tying Yue with liberal amounts of rope, they all walked out of the now deserted hiding place, and into the church, this time victoriously. Yue was not even bothering to struggle anymore, but she still glared at everyone who looked at her. Which was very few people because, finally, the huge fight created by Tali had been suppressed.

Locating their horses was easy, and they had the edition of a packhorse for Yue. Apparently, Altair "borrowed" the horse from a kind farmer.

Strange how willing people are when Altair starts reaching for his sword.

Three days later…

Evanna had a sense of déjà vu as she came within sight of the waterfall again. Finally, they were all safely home again. It was a huge relief, and she let out a sigh, and smiled.

"Someone's happy to be back." Peter said, smiling knowingly at his friend.

"Yes." Evanna agreed, breathing in deeply.

Altair, meanwhile, was fascinated by his surroundings, and shot questions at Tali faster than she could blink.

She handled it calmly, and just smiled. "You'll find out everything soon enough." She told him evenly.

"You're back!" came the ringing cry from a small group of people. The Rangers had broad smile on their faces, but shadows of confusion and curiosity clouded their features when Altair came into view.

"Who is that?" they added.

Evanna waved her hand for silence. "This," she said, indicating Altair, "is a good friend of ours. He helped us rescue Peter and capture Yue. His name is Altair."

Murmuring broke out immediately at this, but it was soon quieted by none other than Carter.

"Move along, I've got people to talk to!" he shouted.

"Jeez Carter, relax." One of the Rangers complained.

Carter glowered until all of the Rangers had scurried away.

"To the cave!" He exclaimed cheerfully. With a glance at Altair he added, "Bring him too."

"The cave?" Altair whispered to Evanna.

"Our headquarters." She explained.

"Your headquarters is in a cave?" disbelief was evident in Altair's voice.

"You'll see." Said Evanna with a grin.

Awestruck, Altair walked into the small, almost invisible gap into the cave, and from outside, Evanna heard him shout, "This is so cool!"

When she walked in, she saw only Carter.

"Um, Carter? Where's Altair?"

Without speaking, he pointed up.

Looking up at the rocky ceiling, Evanna could see Altair crawling around, spider-like.

"This is awesome!" Altair shouted.

"Altair, how are you doing that?"

"Oh, it was a trick I learned from a friend. Look at this!" he added, before dropping down in front of Evanna, holding a gemstone.

"That's nice." Evanna complimented him, as Tali, Eric, Peter, and (carried by the two men) Yue all entered.

"So," Carter began, as they sat down at a long table "what happened?"

It would take only an hour for the whole story to be told, but when it was finished, Carter was shocked.

"Wow. So… we have Peter back, and you all captured Yue. Basically."

"Yes. Basically." Tali said, voice rough from talking so much.

"Well, on behalf of the Rangers, thank you very much Altair. Thank you Tali, Evanna, and Eric. Peter, we're glad to have you back. You, Peter, are excused from your mission."

"Thank you too, Carter." The five of them said.

"Sure." Carter said easily.

"So, what did you guys wear?"

**(A/N: Yeah…. Short. I know. The next update… is also the LAST! For, it is the epilogue. I highly recommend going back and re-reading everything when I next update, or you might not understand the joke I have in the beginning of the epilogue. And if you still don't, talk to your doctor. Or seek other forms of professional help. Or ask me what I meant. Whatever works! Wow, that was long… Anyway, Thank you faithful readers. *Also, special mention goes to my regular reviewer Frogata, who has been WONDEFUL. Frogata, you are awesome. Thanks. NOW I am finished. See you!)**


	9. Chapter 9

Epilogue: Carter is lucky to still have his arm. He remains the same, even after two years.

Yue got more freedom, after she repented. She has won the respect of the Rangers for this.

Altair lives in Kagari with the Rangers. Carter is considering giving him a bronze oak leaf and letting him train with a Ranger for a while. And maybe getting his silver oak leaf someday.

Eric and Tali (yes, their names go together now) are, shall we say, ahem, together. Yes, folks, kissing and all. Try not to think about it too much. They realized after they got back, that all the time they had been spending together when Evanna and Peter were gone had meant they spent a lot of time together. So, they confessed it was probably further than friendship.

Peter and Evanna go by the same token. They too are together. Let's go back to that one…

_(flashback)_

"_Peter?" Evanna sounded… worried._

"_Yes?" _

_They were sitting on the picnic table under the oak tree._

"_Did… did anyone tell you how I was when you left?"_

_Curious, Peter replied, "No."_

_Evanna explained how she had not spoken to anyone, or even gotten out of bed, really. "I was… depressed. I realized something important."_

_Here she paused, looking scared._

"_Yes?" Peter urged, excitement growing._

"_I… I… I love you!" She burst out suddenly, before burying her head in her hands._

_Peter, meanwhile, was grinning like an idiot. He adopted a more normal expression, and lifted Evanna's head out of her hands._

"_You'll be relieved to hear this, then." He said. "I love you, too."_

"_Really?" Evanna sounded breathless, and looked at him hopefully._

_Peter laughed at her expression and said, "Of course! I wouldn't lie!"_

_They leaned in, and kissed each other. It was sweet, and short, but it was what each had been secretly waiting for…_

_(end Flashback)_

They had a double wedding, but little do they know about a shadow, lurking, and ready to strike.

**(A/N: Hello, devoted stalkers! (Oh, don't look at me like that. You know I love you.) It has been truly wonderful to finish publishing this story, and to see all your lovely reviews. Especially from the charming Frogata, who has been wonderful and supportive. And to my brother, who helped me write a lot of this. Thanks a bunch! However, all of the reviews have been wonderful. So thank you all very much. **

**I do want to let you all know something important. I'm halfway through writing the sequel to the Waterfall Cave. I would suggest putting this on your story alert list if you have not already done so, because I am going to let you know more about the sequel through the Waterfall Cave. I will also update my profile, so check there for updates as well, such as the title of the sequel, etc. **

**Another few important things (this is on my profile too) after the completion of the sequel, I'm going to write some one shots that will be companions to The Waterfall Cave and the sequel, when the sequel comes out. **

**I don't know exactly when I'll finish the sequel, but I'm hoping to finish it by August, 2011. This is a loose estimate though, so don't hold me to it! **

**I'm sorry that was so long! But I had a lot to say. Now, what's your job? You, my lovely reader must click the review button and tell me absolutely anything, with no regard to my feelings. Tell me what you loved, or hated, or wanted different. Tell me what I should have had, or shouldn't have had. ANYTHING at all! Constructive criticism is always welcome! **

**And again, thank you very much for bothering to read my story, and this really long Author's Note. I apologize! **


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N: Hey, I'm back! Here to haunt you all! Anyway, this is the prologue for the long awaited sequel to The Waterfall Cave. This, friends, is called Discordant Harmony. Please look it up, because I will add the first chapter today too.) **

Prologue – For the lost and confused:

Altair is living in Kagari with the Rangers.

So is Yue, who loves being there… and loves someone there. Her freedoms have been greatly increased after she repented.

Eric and Tali are married, and both are currently spending time at the cave.

Their best friends, also married now, are Evanna and Peter. Both of them are at the cave too.

Soon, there will be every Ranger in Kagari cramming themselves into the Waterfall Cave, ready for the biggest group mission, and challenge, ever laid out before them.


End file.
